Dutch topflight side AZ Alkmaar, have handed a long-term contract extension to promising Ghanaian winger Jayden Addai, keeping him at the AFAS Stadium until 2028.
The the eighteen-year-old Jong AZ winger signed a new agreement until mid-2028. For Addai, this is his third commitment to AZ.
Addai joined the AZ Alkmaar from VPV Purmersteijn in 2016 where he joined the club’s Under 12 side. He signed his first contract in December 2020, followed by his second in June 2022. Shortly before that, Addai won both the KNVB Cup and the overall championship with AZ Under 18. A season later, he would win the KNVB Cup again with the same team.
Born in the Netherlands to Ghanaian parents, Addai has netted nine goals this season, he is even in second place in the top scorer ranking of the Kitchen Champion Division.
Jayden Addai was recently nominated for the title of Best Talent of the First Period. He made his professional debut at Jong AZ as a sixteen-year-old on April 8, 2022. He has now played 32 for the club, scoring 10 goals and delivering two assists.
UEFA Youth League
The youth exponent has been an eye-catcher in the UEFA Youth League for two seasons now. Last season, he was part of the squad that won the tournament and he played an important role in that. He scored against Shamrock Rovers FC, Red Star Belgrade and Eintracht Frankfurt.
In the semifinals, he scored the decisive penalty kick against Sporting CP, after which he opened the score against Hajduk Split in the final – again from eleven meters. Last week, he played in AZ’s campaign of the new season. Against Molde FK (3-4 win) where he scored a goal and provided two assists.
“I’m comfortable in it,” said Addai of his current form. “Due to injuries I had a few bad moments, but I came back well. In addition to the matches, I also started to pay more and more attention to the little things off the field.
‘’That’s one of the reasons I’ve grown a lot in recent seasons. I worked really hard this summer to get to AZ 1. I managed to train with them for a few weeks and I feel like I left a good impression. Now it’s time for me to join permanently. That’s the level where I want to show it. My goal is to get official minutes in the Eredivisie before the winter break.”
The club’s director of Football affairs Max Huiberts meanwhile, has described Addai as a ‘Boy with a promising future’
“Following Kees, Jayden is the second talent to sign in a short period of time,” says Director of Football Affairs Max Huiberts happily. “Jayden is going through a huge development. He is high on the top scorers list in the Kitchen Champion Division, which is very special for a boy who is playing regularly for Jong AZ for the first time this year.
‘’Jayden is a boy with a promising future. Just like with Kees, it won’t be long before he joins AZ 1. He is hugely ambitious and likes to make quick steps, but he also knows that this has to be done gradually. He’s working that at the moment.”
